Calypso

"Come in close… closer. Because the more you think you see, the easier it will be to fool you. Because what is seeing? You’re looking, but what you’re really doing is filtering, interpreting, searching for meaning. My job: to take that most precious of gifts you give me – your attention – and use it against you."

Steve Jablonsky: Arrival to Earth (Transformers OST), In Time You'll See (Transformers: Dark of the Moon OST), Matrix of Leadership (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen OST)

Steven Sharp Nelson: Beethoven's Five Secrets, Moonlight

Two Steps From Hell: After the Fall, Black Blade, Enigmatic Soul, Forces of Destiny, Freedom Fighters, Heart of Courage, Infinite Legends, Master of Shadows, To Glory

Overview

Charlene Michelle "Charley" Skinner

Charlene (or Charley, as she preferred to be called) was born April 7, 1994. While the Skinners have their reputation (and deservedly so, in most respects), Charley was a bit... different, though not in the typical sense. Charley was a quick study when it came to larcenous pursuits and gave every appearance of being "white trash" like the rest of the family. But two things came together to open her eyes and rise above: the first was learning about her great-grandmother -- Celia Skinner, a Northeastern poet of no small local fame a century ago, and the second was getting to see magicians on television, like David Copperfield or Criss Angel. The desire to become something more than being just another example of white trash was the driving force behind Charley rapidly developing an interest in stage and street magic.

To this day, she doesn't know who did it, but around the time of her graduation from Four Towns Memorial High School in 2012, someone sent a video of one of her performances from a talent show to the McBride Magic & Mystery School, located in the Paradise community of the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area. Impressed by what they saw, Charley was offered a full ride to attend their school, and she leapt at the chance. She left Fallcoast in mid-summer of 2012 to discover what she thought was her destiny.

Jacqueline "Jacqui" Wilder

While learning at McBride, Charley knew she needed a stage name that would be more eye-catching. She found her inspiration a year after leaving Fallcoast, when the movie "Now You See Me" came out. Identifying with James Franco's character, Charley adopted her new stage name: Jacqueline "Jacqui" Wilder. She blossomed at McBride, showing such promise and potential for both traditional stage magic as well as street magic that she began working her way up the proverbial food chain in Las Vegas, culminating in performing a series of opening acts for Vegas headliners in 2016 and into 2017.

On the night of June 10, 2017, however, everything went topsy-turvy. Jacqui's final act was a timed escapist trick out of a water chamber, and yet during the trick, the key she was to use to unlock her restraints wasn't on her person like it was supposed to be. She nearly drowned before the stage hands realized what was wrong and hurriedly extricated her from the water chamber. She spent some time recovering from her ordeal before finally deciding almost seven months later to return home to Fallcoast, to regroup and plan her comeback.

Calypso

The accident that led to Charley/Jacqui's near-drowning, as it turned out, was something far more profound: it led to her Awakening upon the Path of Thistle, claiming the shadowname Calypso. When she awoke, she found her Mentor waiting for her to regain consciousness -- Aelfric, an Acanthus of the Adamantine Arrow. He began to train her in /real/ magic, the Atlantean kind, and Calypso was every bid the quick study she had been at McBride. She spent six months learning from him, joining the Adamantine Arrow herself under no small pressure from Aelfric and slowly growing more comfortable within the Order.

In December 2017, however, Calypso learned the truth: Aelfric wasn't just an Acanthus Adamantine Arrow, but also a member of a Legacy known as The Awakening Gambit. It wouldn't have been such an issue if it hadn't been discovered in tandem with information regarding his most recent Gambit -- Calypso herself. Furious that she'd been lied to and targeted in such a manner that nearly killed her, Calypso gathered her things and left Aelfric behind. She put out some feelers to find out if there was a Consilium in the area of Fallcoast, and upon learning as much, she left Las Vegas behind to return home and strike a balance between her duties as one of the Awakened and her "mundane" life as a stage/street magician.

IC Events

Coming soon!

RP Hooks

Athletic: No matter her persona (whether it be Charley, Jacqui or Calypso), she's known to be highly athletic and dexterous. It's a bit of a gift, and it's something she works on daily, whether it be in cardistry, card throwing and beyond. Her athleticism has even expanded to Parkour, something she began learning in earnest after her accident and Awakening as part of her training in the Adamantine Arrow. (Athletics (specs in Cardistry, Card Throwing and Parkour); FS: Shurikenjutsu (for card-throwing purposes), Parkour, Specialized Physique (Dexterity - Athletics))

Awakened: To the Consilium of the Granite Coast, she's known only as Calypso, an Acanthus of the Adamantine Arrow. Her shadowname (which means 'one who conceals') is quite apt, as she uses her abilities to disguise her appearance, in order to keep as much separation as possible between her shadow life as a Mage and her mundane life. She claims to be a Disciple of the Fate, Life and Time Arcana, as well as an Initiate of the mysteries of Prime Arcana, and she has no intention of slowing down any time soon in her own quest for knowledge of the Supernal.

Good With Her Hands: Whether she's called Charley by her friends and family, or Jacqui by pretty much everyone else, one thing is clear: she's good with her hands. By that, we mean sleight-of-hand and other larceny-based tricks on the one hand, and crafts on the other (so get your minds out of that gutter!). She can do things like painting and sculpting, but most of her crafting handiwork actually revolves around equipment and gear that she can use on stage to help further her performance -- in fact, she's thinking of focusing on that and making a business out of it while she works on planning out her comeback. (Crafts, Larceny (with sleight-of-hand spec).

Other Side of the Tracks: Due in no small part to her family background, Charley has some knowledge of the criminal element. While she does try to keep to the straight and narrow as much as possible, she did start out on the road of petty theft before aspiring to be more than she was. So she may know a few people who can get things that may or may not be strictly "legal". One thing is for sure, though: Charley drives a hell of a hard bargain when it comes to getting something she wants (Larceny, some Streetwise and Stealth; Bargain Hunter)

Performance: While Charley could put on a performance, her time at the McBride Magic & Mystery School allowed her to truly develop more of showmanship and to take advantage of her athletic grace to stage her performances. Further, it gave her no small amount of insight into making the most of her appearance on stage. (Athletics, Expression (spec in Stage Magic), Persuasion (spec in Hypnotic Voice); Hypnotic Voice merit, Striking Looks (Alluring))

Skinner: Yeah, she's known as one of those "white trash" Skinners. She can adopt a stage name complete with its own paper trail all she likes, but there's no hiding from being a part of the family -- not that she'd really want to, since her family background is a part of her evolution as a performer.

Stage/Street Magician: Her friends and family know who she is, but to the rest of the world, she's known as Jacqueline "Jacqui" Wilder, and in that guise she paid her dues and climbed the proverbial ladder high enough to performing opening acts for some of the more popular Las Vegas headliners. Known primarily for her affinity for cardistry, card throwing and sleight-of-hand tricks, Jacqui has been branching out to incorporate "mentalism" and escapist into her expanding repertoire. She had an accident that threatened her life in her last performance in Las Vegas, but now she's beginning the road to a comeback. (Expression (spec in Stage Magic); Fame 1 - Stage/Street Magician, Hypnotic Voice)